Kanjhawala Farmers to march from Rajghat to President house

To save the agriculture land from acquisition by the government under various pretexts and to protect the rights of the resettlement colonies in Delhi and NCR, members of Bhumi Bachao Andolan under the guidance of Jan Sangharsh Vahini addressed a press conference at the Indian Women’s Press Corp today.

Addressing the meet, the convener of Jan Sanghash Vahini, Mr Bhupendra Singh Rawat accused the government of acquiring the ancestral land of the farmers in the name of development and public welfare while displacing thousands of urban poor from their habitat in the name of beautification of cities just to placate a few industrialists and businessmen.

To oppose such indefensible and unjust policies of the government both the farmers as well as the people of these colonies have joined hand under the banner of Jan Sangharsh Vahini. Various people’s organizations including National Alliance of People’s movements, Bandhuva Mukti Morcha, National Domestic Workers Union, National workers Federation, National Kisan Mazdoor Federation, Jan Sangharsh Samykta Morcha, Jhuggi Jhopari Kalyan Morcha and Delhi Solidarity Groups are already supporting the movement led by Jan Sangharsh Vahini.

Rawat explained that our constitution says India is a welfare state but the government policies seem to be contrary to the same. It reflects in the policies of land acquisition of the farmers whose fertile lands are being acquiredat the throw away prices without ever seeking their consent to hand it over to greedy industrial houses. Similarly, in the name of beautification as well as development and extension of Delhi as well as National Capital Region, the government is hell bent on land acquisition without caring for the future of both the farmers as well as the people living in the resettlement colonies as well as slums. With the Common Wealth Games round the corner to be organized in the city in 2010, the authorities did not care to speak to the people before acquiring the huge track of agricultural land and demolishing virtually 1700 years old villages of Kanjhawala, Tikari Kalan, Karala, Tikari Khurd, and Puth Khurd where it has acquired over 1500 acres of land on a price which is much below the market rate.

The affected farmers of Kanjhawla and other villages have been agitating for their rightful demand under the banner of Jan Sangharsh Vahini and Bharatiya Kisan Union since March 10, 2008. They protested in front of the district officials, gheroed the Delhi Assembly for their rightful demands but got brutal lathi charge from the police. Angered farmers started a Satyagraha at the district deputy collector’s office and seized it from September 11th, 2008. This incident rocked the authorities as the peaceful farmers did not allow functioning of the office of the collector for next 35 days. Under the pressure of the farmers agitation, the Delhi government raised the compensation to the farmers from Rupees Twenty Five lakh to rupees Fifty Lakh per acre. But now the farmers are determined to get their land back and are not ready to compensate anything for their land.

Similarly, the government is now planning to dislocate thousands of people from resettlement colonies, and slums in Delhi to hand the land over to industrialists and capitalists to develop shopping Malls, arcades and hotels for the tourists.Mr Rawat mentioned that today nobody is secure in Delhi whether it is the land of the farmers which they had been tilling since 1700 years or the dwellings of the workers which they developed after their hard earned money. That is why all these people have joined hand together under the banner of Bhumi Bachao Andolan ( Save the land movement). Under this, activists, movements, writers, intellectuals, farmers, slum dwellers, etc will walk in protest against illegal land acquisitionfrom Rajghat to Rastrapati Bhavan, on February 13th, 2009 and hand over a memorandum to Honorable President of India.

Mr Bhupendra Singh Rawat also explained that despite amendment to 1894 Land Acquisition Act and the declaration of new rehabilitation policy, the government failed to get them passed by the Parliament. He said that no land acquisition policy should be allowed if that does not compensate land to land and house to house. Without this, there will be no future for farmers and workers who are the back bone of the country and our cities.